


Safe

by MadeOfStardustAndOreos



Series: Everything Cress feels in the presence of Captain Carswell Thorne [1]
Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, Rampion - Freeform, Sharing a Bed, tomatoes, why isn't there a Wolf | Ze'ev Kesley/tomatoes tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadeOfStardustAndOreos/pseuds/MadeOfStardustAndOreos
Summary: For their first night after leaving Luna, Cress and Thorne are left to themselves on the Rampion. Struggling to fall asleep, Cress is finding fewer and fewer reasons for why she isn't sharing a bed with her Captain.ft. Wolf with tomatoes and Thorne returning to his beloved, a.k.a. the Rampion
Relationships: Crescent Moon "Cress" Darnel/Carswell Thorne, Scarlet Benoit/Wolf | Ze'ev Kesley
Series: Everything Cress feels in the presence of Captain Carswell Thorne [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860421
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished rereading the Lunar Chronicles for maybe the fifth time and I am always disappointed at how small this fandom is. I need to drown myself in fanfiction!!!! So I wrote one instead. Hope you enjoy!

Cress tried not to grimace as Wolf gobbled up his seventh tomato, seeds and red juice splattering his hands, the table, even the sharp points of his canine teeth. It was moments like these that she most feared how easily he could snap her neck. 

But then he would look at Scarlet like she was made of stardust—and tomatoes—and Cress would remember she had nothing to worry about. It was just Wolf. 

Beside her, Thorne was smacking his lips. “Excellent dinner, Scarlet. Couldn’t have made it better myself.”

Elbow-deep in sink water, Scarlet called over her shoulder, “No, you couldn’t have.” If she’d been facing them, Cress was sure there’d be a glare to match the icy tone. 

Thorne grinned, winking at Cress for good measure. 

Cress had offered to help clean up, but one warning glance from Wolf told her all she needed. It was the first time Scarlet had been home in months—though it wasn’t much of a home to return to. Not without her grandmother. Scarlet had escaped to her bedroom almost immediately, Wolf on her heels, to mourn the loss of her old life. 

Left by themselves, Cress and Thorne cleaned up what they could, the farmhouse ransacked beyond belief. She had marveled at every sight, never having been in a real home before. 

Well. Not an _Earthen_ one, with all the comforts that Lunar homes lacked. She’d admired and questioned everything, from first-era photo albums to the light catching in hand-made curtains. Thorne’s neverending chatter worked to mask the muffled sobs from upstairs. 

Eyes still red and puffy, Scarlet had insisted on making dinner, just to keep her hands busy. It was simple spaghetti and meatballs, and though it didn’t compare to the food in the palace, Cress understood now the value of a home cooked meal. She wasn’t looking forward to meal-packs on the Rampion again. 

“Any plans for tomorrow?” she asked as casually as she could. Scarlet didn’t need another reminder that this was a temporary stay. 

Officially, they were on a mission to distribute letumosis antidotes across Earth, only visiting Rieux for a day or two before they left. Émilie had maintained the farm as well as she could, but Scarlet needed to take care of a few things before disappearing for months again. 

The faucet shut off and Scarlet turned to face them. She listed tasks off, tapping each finger as she went. Checking in with vendors, running diagnostics on the androids, checking on the few animals they had, restocking the Rampion. With each item, Scarlet’s frown deepened, but Cress only grew more excited. 

There was still so much she hadn’t done, hadn’t visited. She’d never seen a chicken before, or a cow or a pig or been inside a grocery store or cloud-watched or rolled in grass—

“Don’t get too excited, Cress. It’s _work_.”

“It sounds _amazing_.” 

All those years in the satellite had left her with far too many fantasies about life outside of it. Besides all the wonders of Earth that she wanted to visit, Cress just wanted to know what real life was like. And while she was grateful to her friends for saving her, she never imagined her first foray into the real world would involve kidnapping emperors, infiltrating palaces and revolutionizing whole countries. 

Not that there was a problem with those things. 

They chatted for a few more minutes about all that had to be done, until a dramatic yawn from Thorne interrupted. Taking that as their cue, they dispersed. Scarlet and Wolf upstairs, Cress and Thorne to the Rampion. 

“It’ll be nice to sleep in my own bed again,” Thorne said. His hand slipped easily into hers as they walked over to his ship.

Ignoring the butterflies, Cress snorted, “You mean the bed that’s loaned out to you courtesy of President Vargas?” 

Thorne stumbled slightly and gaped at her, “When did you get so mean!” 

_When you stabbed me in the stomach_ , Cress wanted to joke, but knew that would crush him. It was too soon anyway. It may not have been his mind guiding the blade, but Thorne hadn’t stopped apologizing for weeks now. No matter how many times she told him she didn’t blame him.

The ramp descended as they got close. He kept his hand in hers, but used his other to caress the side of the ship as they entered, whispering sweet-nothings into its hull. They may have been on the ship for a couple of hours already, but his reunion with his beloved was far from over. 

“Oh, how I missed you, you lovely beast,” he said, pausing to hug the wall. “I’m sorry I had to leave again, but I’m here now. Nothing will separate us ever again.”

Cress rolled her eyes. 

“Of course,” Thorne said, turning back around, “There are two women in my life now.” He leaned forward and pecked Cress on the cheek. 

Hand in hand, they headed back to the crew quarters, Thorne greeting his room with the same gusto he’d greeted his ship. Cress leaned in the doorway as he flopped onto his bed, groaning appreciatively. 

Cress giggled, “Good night Captain.”

She turned to go. 

“Wait—Cress!” Another flop, the shuffling of sheets and Thorne was facing her. He looked…nervous. 

Thorne was so rarely nervous that Cress paused.

“Captain?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Did you want to…” Cress waited for him to finish, but the sentence was lost. “Never mind.” 

Before she could respond, he found her hand and pulled her to him. He kissed her, Cress losing herself in the warm movements of his soft lips and the grip of his hand on her hair. As he deepened the kiss, Cress fell against the wall behind her. 

For perhaps the fifteenth time that week, Cress sighed in happiness. 

Captain Carsewell Thorne. _Kissing_ her _._

Pressing against her, Thorne’s leg worked its way between hers and— _oh._ All sorts of sensations warmed her from the bottom up, curling her toes. Gently, Thorne pulled her lower lip between his. Cress squeaked as his tongue nudged her lips apart. It was a new feeling, but Cress suddenly understood what she’d been missing. Someone groaned, she didn’t know who. Thorne’s hands worked their way into her hair and somehow she couldn’t get close enough. 

After what felt like hours, they drew apart slowly, Thorne chasing her with kisses down her jaw. Eventually he let go and held her, his forehead leaning against hers. “Had to make sure the first kiss on the Rampion was a good one,” he whispered, rubbing circles into her palm. 

Breathless, Cress kissed him once more, quickly. 

Grinning, he pulled back. “Good night, Cress.”

“Good night, Captain.”

* * * 

Falling asleep was much harder than she thought it would be. Cress was in the room she’d used for her few weeks on the Rampion before, so the bed was familiar. And she was exhausted from cleaning up the farmhouse. 

So why couldn’t she fall asleep?

Her thoughts kept circling back to the man only a room away. He had been about to tell her something, before _that_ kiss. 

She also couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. 

But he had been nervous before, like he wanted to ask her something. Maybe he just wanted to know when she’d be waking up in the morning. That was probably it. 

Cress didn’t let herself think about what she hoped he was going to ask. 

Despite living only a room away from each other for over a week, they hadn’t yet spent the night together. It was sort of a big step for a relationship that was still very new. 

There were always reasons to stay apart. Late meetings to attend, friends in the way or just exhaustion that would overcome Cress too quickly, her injury still fresh. When that happened, Thorne would tuck her in, kiss her cheek goodnight, but he never stayed. 

The desire to seek comfort in his arms only grew as the nightmares arrived. She’d wake up thrashing and covered in sweat, her abdomen throbbing and her cheeks wet with tears. Her throat would be raw from screaming. 

_The walls were too thick_ , she’d tell herself, _he couldn’t hear her._ The alternative, that he didn’t want to comfort her, hurt too much. 

She burrowed deeper into the blankets, convincing herself that the sheets were his arms, the blankets his warmth. 

“CRESS!” 

The shout jolted her upright. _Thorne_. 

Already jumping out of bed, she pushed her door open and raced to his. 

Inside, he was pushing blankets off and mumbling incoherently. 

“Captain?”

“Cress!” he shouted again, but when he turned over, Cress realized his eyes were still screwed shut. A nightmare then. 

She approached him cautiously. His cheeks were wet, just like hers usually were, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his shoulders, his arms, his— _oh_. 

The Captain slept shirtless. 

Cress froze, admiring the ridges of his abs and defined pectorals. Her mind was already making comparisons to the men in the net-dramas and finding that Thorne exceeded all her expectations. She’d seen him shirtless before, when they’d saved Cinder from drowning, but it was different. They weren’t in any danger now. Cress was free to admire—

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” he said, still tossing and turning. 

_Right_. The nightmare. 

Cress found his shoulder and held him. “It’s alright, Captain. I’m here. I’m safe.”

His hand found hers and gripped tight, but he continued dreaming. Finding a small space next to him, Cress sat down and tried to rub comfort into his arms. “You need to wake up, Thorne. You’re safe now. We’re all safe now.”

His bright blue eyes flew open as he sat up, panting.

“ _Cress_ ,” he whispered, falling into her waiting arms. As his breathing slowed, Cress wound her arms around him and held tight. 

After a few minutes of tense silence, Thorne spoke, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”

He glanced at her, “Nightmare?”

Cress couldn’t hold his gaze. “Not tonight,” she whispered. He unwrapped their arms and found her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.   
“Thank you for…”

“Of course.” He released her hands, an awkward silence filling the space between them.

“I should—” Cress said, getting up. He wanted his space. He’d been so excited to sleep in his bed again, and she wasn’t going to ruin that. Having her here would just—

His hand on her wrist stopped her. “Stay. Please.” He said it so tenderly that Cress found it difficult to justify leaving. 

“Alright.”

He scooted backward, making room for her in the bed. There was plenty of space, but as she laid down, Thorne was quick to cocoon her in his arms. It felt natural. Easy. _Right_. 

She sighed with comfort as Thorne pressed a kiss to her shoulder. 

“Captain?”

He hummed in response. 

“Do you always have nightmares?” _About me?_ The unspoken tag to her question. 

She felt his hand stiffen, splayed against her stomach. “ _Aces_ , Cress.” He paused, finding the right words for once. “I can’t stop dreaming about—about stabbing you. Losing you, and it being my fault. I’m so—”

“You don’t need to apologize, Thorne. It’s over. I’m safe. We’re all safe.” His answer was to pull her closer. Cress didn’t know if it was more comforting to him or to her. 

“I dream about it too, you know.” Her whisper was quiet, and a little brave. Even now, wrapped in his arms, she was afraid of saying too much, of accidentally pushing him away when he was never close enough. 

“If I’d known I would’ve found you. Like you found me.” 

“I know.” Her eyes were growing heavy now that she felt secure. Safe. “But we have each other now.” 

Thorne’s breathing evened out to match hers. “And I’m never letting go,” he whispered into her shoulder. 

Slowly, like the sun disappearing from her satellite window, Cress fell asleep in the comfort of her Captain’s arms, knowing their adventures were just getting started.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly surprised I haven't written this sooner as I think it's been in my head for years now. Hope you liked :)


End file.
